A treatment for female sexual dysfunction has entered the third phase of clinical trials in four Beijing hospitals. Its developer, US-based NexMed, hopes its women's answer to Viagra will make it even more money than Pfizer has earned from its little blue pill, as more women than men suffer from sexual dysfunction. 'The cream is expected to become the world's first prescription drug for female sexual dysfunction,' said Bai Jieshan , the general manager of NexMed Beijing. She acknowledged that 'a lot of over-the-counter health products claiming they can cure women of sexual dysfunction' were already sold on the mainland. About 400 women are taking part in the Beijing trials. The basic element of the cream is PGE-1, a synthetic version of a hormone which occurs in semen. It helps expand blood vessels and enhance blood flow. Ms Bai said: 'The cream shows its effects within 15 minutes. It would be safe, as PGE-1 has been used in other medicines already.' 'The clinical trials will be completed within six months and the cream is expected to appear on the mainland market soon after then,' she said. NexMed is awaiting approval from the United States' Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials there. Zhang Xiaowei , the deputy director of Peking University Number 3 Hospital's reproductive medical centre, believed such a cream would have huge market potential. 'Nearly half of all women cannot reach orgasm during sex,' said Professor Zhang. In June 2001, NexMed introduced Bafar in China. The cream also contains PGE-1 and is aimed at the estimated 80 million adult males on the mainland who suffer from erectile dysfunction.
